Judge rejects Microsoft's defence of overseas data

NEW YORK - A judge on Thursday rejected a bid by Microsoft to derail a warrant demanding that email data from servers in Ireland be turned over to US prosecutors.

Microsoft vowed to battle on in the case, which is being closely watched by Internet firms eager to assure users around the world that their private information is not being freely shared with US authorities.

"The only issue that was certain this morning was that the district court's decision would not represent the final step in this process," Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in an email reply to an AFP inquiry after the ruling by US District Judge Loretta Preska. "We will appeal promptly and continue to advocate that people's email deserves strong privacy protection in the US and around the world."

Microsoft argued in court that the warrant, which would require the tech giant to turn over customer emails stored in a data center in Dublin, should be nullified because it would give the US government excessive power to pry over private information. A two-hour hearing ended with Preska denying Microsoft's request to have the subpoena quashed, according to a spokesperson for the US attorney in New York.